Fire barrier

ABSTRACT

A fire barrier operable to be placed within a gap formed between two surfaces. The fire barrier may generally include a first intumescent section, a first foam section coupled with the first intumescent section, and a second intumescent section coupled with the first foam section generally opposite the first intumescent section. In some embodiments, the fire barrier may include a plurality of intumescent sections and a plurality of foam sections with each foam section being positioned between at least two of the intumescent sections.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

Embodiments of the present invention relate to fire barriers. Moreparticularly, various embodiments of the invention provide a firebarrier having a plurality of alternating intumescent and foam sections.

2. Description of the Related Art

It is often desirable to position fire-resistive materials such asintumescent sheets within joints formed between roof, wall, floor, andceiling members. Unfortunately, prior art fire barriers often fail toproperly orient intumescent sheets within joints and are susceptible tojoint expansion and contraction.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention solve the above-described problemsand provide a distinct advance in the art of fire barriers. Moreparticularly, various embodiments of the invention provide a firebarrier including a plurality of intumescent sections which may besecurely and properly positioned within a gap.

The fire barrier may generally include a first intumescent section, afirst foam section coupled with the first intumescent section, and asecond intumescent section coupled with the first foam section generallyopposite the first intumescent section. In some embodiments, the firebarrier may include a plurality of alternating intumescent sections andfoam sections with at least some of the foam sections being positionedbetween at least two of the intumescent sections.

The foam sections support and properly space the intumescent sectionsand permit the fire barrier to be compressed and placed within a gapthat is narrower than the uncompressed width of the fire barrier. Thecompressibility of the foam sections helps retain the position of thefire barrier in the gap even if the gap shifts, expands, contracts, orotherwise changes over time.

The intumescent sections are preferably formed of substantiallyfireproof and highly intumescent material that expands up to 35 timesits original thickness when exposed to fire. The foam sections aretreated so as to be fire retardant but not fireproof.

When the fire barrier is exposed to fire, the foam sections burnpartially or completely away and the intumescent sections expand andform a char that fills the voids left by the foam sections. The char hasa low thermal conductivity and will not support or transfer flame orfire. In some situations, all of the foam sections burn away entirelyand are replaced with the expanded intumescent char. In othersituations, the intumescent char infiltrates the foam and imparts to itits fire resistant properties. In still other situations, some portionsof the foam burn away and are replaced by the expanded intumescent charand other portions of the foam are infiltrated by the intumescent char.

Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following detailed description and the accompanying drawingfigures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below withreference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fire barrier constructed in accordancewith various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the fire barrier of FIG. 1 showing thefire barrier encapsulated by a high-temperature material;

FIG. 3 is a side view of another fire barrier constructed in accordancewith various embodiments of the present invention, the fire barriershown installed within a gap formed between two surfaces;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the fire barrier of FIG. 1 shown installedwithin a gap formed between two surfaces;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the fire barrier of FIG. 1 showninstalled within a gap formed between two surfaces; and

FIG. 6 is another cross-sectional view of the fire barrier of FIG. 1shown installed within a gap formed between two surfaces.

The drawing figures do not limit the present invention to the specificembodiments disclosed and described herein. The drawings are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearlyillustrating the principles of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of various embodiments of theinvention references the accompanying drawings that illustrate specificembodiments in which the invention can be practiced. The embodiments areintended to describe aspects of the invention in sufficient detail toenable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Otherembodiments can be utilized and changes can be made without departingfrom the scope of the present invention. The following detaileddescription is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense. Thescope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims,along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims areentitled.

Referring to FIGS. 1-6, embodiments of the present invention provide afire barrier 10 operable to be positioned within a gap A formed betweentwo surfaces B, C. The barrier 10 may be installed within gaps betweensurfaces including roof, wall, floor, ceiling members, combinationsthereof, or any other gaps, joints, or spaces formed between buildingand construction elements. Each surface B, C may include a plurality ofsides, such as top, right, left, and bottom sides.

The barrier 10 broadly includes at least one intumescent section 12 andat least one foam section 14. In some embodiments, the barrier 10includes a plurality of intumescent sections 12 and a plurality of foamsections 14. In other embodiments, the barrier 10 includes twointumescent sections 12 a, 12 b positioned on opposite sides of one foamsection 14, as is shown in FIG. 3, which may be configured forutilization with one-inch gaps. In some other embodiments, the barrier10 includes five intumescent sections 12 a, 12 b, 12 c, 12 d, 12 epositioned on opposite sides of four foam sections 14 a, 14 b, 14 c, 14d, as is shown in FIG. 1, which may be configured for utilization withfour-inch gaps. However, the barrier 10 may employ any number of foamand intumescent sections positioned in any configuration forinstallation in any sized gaps and is not limited to the specificconfigurations discussed herein.

Each intumescent section 12 may include any intumescent materialoperable to expand and/or swell when exposed to heat. In variousembodiments, each intumescent section 12 includes an intumescentmaterial extruded onto a film such as wax paper, mineral wool,artificial fiber ribbons, polyethylene film, polypropylene film,polyurethane film, polyester film, combinations thereof, and the like.The intumescent sections 12 may be comprised of a C.sub.2-C.sub.8 alkyldiamine phosphate fire retardant, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.6,207,085, which is incorporated herein by specific reference. Theintumescent sections may also be formed from Metacaulk® Joint Strips orMetacaulk® BlazeSeal Strips provided by RectorSeal of Houston, Tex.

In some embodiments, the intumescent sections are formed of highlyintumescent material that expands up to 35 times its original thicknesswhen exposed to fire. The intumescent material also exhibits multi-stageintumescence. For example, the material may experience a firstintumescent reaction at a lower temperature range where it expands afirst amount. This first reaction may occur at about 350° F. and up toabout 500° F. The material may then experience a second intumescentreaction at an intermediate temperature range where it expands a secondamount. This second reaction may occur at about 500° F. to about 750° F.The material may then experience a third intumescent reaction at ahigher temperature range where it expands a third amount. This thirdreaction may occur at temperatures greater than 750° F. The specifictemperature ranges are examples only and are not important, but theproperty of having intumescence that occurs at different temperatureranges is important.

Each intumescent section 12 preferably presents a generally rectangularconfiguration to generally form a cuboid. Thus, “rectangular” asutilized herein refers to both two-dimensional and three-dimensionalrectangles. However, the intumescent sections 12 may present any form orconfiguration and are not limited to rectangular configurations. Thus,in some embodiments some of the intumescent sections 12 may present afirst geometric configuration while some of the other intumescentsections 12 may present a second geometric configuration. Consequently,each of the intumescent sections 12 may present a unique geometric orstructural configuration.

The volume provided by each of the intumescent sections 12 may beselected to correspond to the dimensions of the gap A. In someembodiments, it may be desirable to position only one intumescentsection 12 within the gap A while in other embodiments it may bedesirable to position a plurality of intumescent sections 12 within thegap A. The intumescent sections 12 may present any volume or dimensionsto desirably fill at least a portion of the gap A.

The foam sections 14 are generally operable to couple with one or moreof the intumescent sections 12 to preferably form the sandwich-likeconfiguration shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. Each foam section 14 is preferablyformed of a flexible foam material to enable the intumescent sections 12and foam sections 14 to be compressed within the gap A, as is discussedin more detail below. In some embodiments, one or more of the foamsections 14 may be comprised of flexible polyurethane foam.

In some embodiments, the foam sections are flexible urethane foamsformed of polyether-based urethane polymers that have been treated to befire retardant but not fireproof. For example, the foam sections may beHR foams provided by the Sunshine Foam Company of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Each foam section 14 preferably presents a generally rectangularconfiguration such that each foam section 14 generally forms a cuboid ina similar manner to the intumescent sections 12 discussed above.However, the foam sections 14 may present any form or configuration andare not limited to rectangular configurations. Thus, in some embodimentssome of the foam sections 14 may present a first geometric configurationwhile some of the other foam sections 14 may present a second geometricconfiguration. Consequently, each of the foam sections 14 may present aunique geometric or structural configuration.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, the foam sections 14 maypresent a length and a width that is generally similar to the length andwidth of the intumescent sections 12 such that the foam sections 14dimensionally vary from the dimensions of the intumescent sections 12only in thickness. Preferably, the foam sections 14 are substantiallythicker than the intumescent sections 12. Such a configuration providesproper spacing between the intumescent sections 12 to facilitate properpositioning within the gap A and fire barrier functionality. However,the foam sections 14 may vary from the configuration of the intumescentsections 12 such that any foam section 14 may be larger or smaller inany dimension than any intumescent section 12. Further, any foam section14 may present the same dimensions as any of the intumescent sections12.

Each of the intumescent sections 12 preferably abuts at least one of thefoam sections 14. In some embodiments, each of the foam sections 14preferably abuts at least two of the intumescent sections 12. Further,in some embodiments, various sections 12, 14 may abut each othersubstantially along their lengths. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, eachfoam section 14 may abut at least two of the intumescent sections 12substantially along its length. Thus, the fire barrier 10 may present asubstantially rectangular configuration where the intumescent sections12 and foam sections 14 are each configured as cuboids having similarlengths and widths. However, the fire barrier 10 may present anygeometric or structural configuration by including intumescent sections12 and foam sections 14 having any dimensions.

The intumescent sections 12 and the foam sections 14 may be coupled orotherwise joined together utilizing fastening elements such as nails,screws, staples, bolts, pins, combinations thereof, and the like. Insome embodiments, the intumescent sections 12 and foam sections 14 maybe bonded together utilizing an adhesive such as tape. In otherembodiments, the sections 12, 14 may additionally or alternatively bebonded together through heat bonding. For instance, various sections12,14 may be laminated together utilizing heat and the intumescentsections 12 may be extruded onto the laminated foam sections 14.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2, the barrier 10 may include ahigh-temperature material 16 to at least partially encapsulate theintumescent sections 12 and the foam sections 14. The high-temperaturematerial 16 may be any generally heat or fire resistant material,including but not limited to metallic foils, fiberglass scrims,high-temperature textiles, and combinations thereof. The intumescentsections 12 and foam sections 14 may be fully enveloped by thehigh-temperature material 16 or the high-temperature material 16 may bepositioned on or over only a portion of the intumescent sections 12 andfoam sections 14.

Preferably, the high-temperature material 16 surrounds the exposed sidesof the intumescent sections 12 and foam sections 14 while leaving thetops and bottoms of the sections 12, 14 uncovered, as shown in FIG. 2.Such a configuration allows the barrier 10 to generally retain its shapewhen compressed and facilitates proper positioning of the barrier 10. Insome embodiments, the high-temperature material 16 may be adhered to thevarious sections 12,14.

In various embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 4-5, the barrier 10 mayadditionally include or otherwise utilize one or more support sections18. Each support section 18 may be comprised of any generally heat orfire resistant material, including but not limited to metallic foils,fiberglass scrims, high-temperature textiles, and combinations thereof.

The support sections 18 are generally operable to be placed within thegap A to support the intumescent sections 12 and the foam sections 14.For example, one or more support sections 18 may be installed and/orpositioned within the gap A and the intumescent sections 12 and foamsections 14 may rest upon the support sections 18 and/or be compressedinto the support sections 18 to ensure proper placement of the barrier10 within the gap A. Additionally or alternatively, the support sections18 may be coupled with the intumescent sections 12 and/or foam sections14 utilizing adhesives and/or mechanical fasteners.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5, the barrier 10 may include twosupport sections 18 positioned in proximity to each end of theintumescent sections 12 and foam sections 14. Utilization of more thanone support section 18 facilitates proper placement of the fire barrier10 within the gap A even if the gap A expands or contracts.

In operation, the barrier 10 may be positioned within the gap Autilizing any methods. Preferably, the barrier 10 is positioned in thegap A such that the seams or spaces formed between the variousintumescent sections 12 and foam sections 14 run generally perpendicularto the gap A opening, and thus generally parallel to the gap's walls, asis shown in FIGS. 3-6. Thus, in some embodiments, no single intumescentsection 12 or foam section 14 spans the entire width of the gap A.However, the fire barrier 10 may be positioned within the gap A in anyorientation.

In some embodiments, the width of the barrier 10 may be larger than thewidth of the gap A such that the barrier 10 may be compressed forplacement within the gap A. The compression of the barrier 10, and inparticular the compression of the intumescent sections 12 and foamsections 14, enables the barrier 10 to be secured within the gap A byexerting a force against the sides of the gap A. Additionally oralternatively, the barrier 10 may be secured within the gap A byutilizing adhesives or mechanical fasteners, such as nails, screws,pins, bolts, combinations thereof, and the like, to attach or otherwisecouple the barrier 10 to the sides of the gap A.

In embodiments where the barrier 10 includes the high-temperaturematerial 16 to envelop at least a portion of the sections 12, 14, thebarrier 10 may be positioned within the gap A through compression in asimilar manner to that discussed above. Additionally or alternatively,the high-temperature material 16 may be affixed or otherwise coupledwith the gap A by utilizing adhesives or mechanical fasteners, such asthose discussed above.

The compression of the intumescent sections 12 and foam sections 14within the gap A and/or the fastening of the sections 12, 14 within thegap A facilitates proper placement of the barrier 10 by enabling thebarrier to retain its position within the gap A even if the gap Ashifts, expands, contracts, or otherwise changes form due toenvironmental or structural factors.

In embodiments where the barrier 10 includes one or more of the supportsections 18, the support sections 18 may be positioned within the gap Abefore the installation of the various intumescent sections 12 and foamsections 14. The intumescent sections 12 and foam sections 14 may thenbe compressed into the one or more support sections 18 to retain thevarious sections 12, 14, 18 within the gap A. Additionally, the supportsections 18 may be compressed into the various intumescent sections 12and foam sections 14 before or after the various sections 12, 14 arepositioned within the gap A. As discussed above, the intumescentsections 12 and foam sections 14 may additionally or alternatively becoupled with the support sections 18 utilizing adhesives and/orfasteners.

The support sections 18 may additionally or alternatively be positionedwithin the gap A utilizing adhesives and/or fasteners. For example, onesupport section 18 may be coupled with the gap walls utilizing adhesivesand/or fasteners, such as the various fasteners discussed above, andthen the intumescent sections 12 and foam sections 14 may be positionedon and/or compressed into the installed support section 18. Additionalsupport sections 18 may then be installed to further support theintumescent sections 12 and foam sections 14, as is shown in FIG. 5.

In some embodiments, a joint cover 20 may be installed in combinationwith the barrier 10 to cover the gap A. The joint cover 20 may comprisea metallic floating or non-floating cover, as is shown in FIGS. 3-4. Inother embodiments, the joint cover 20 may comprise a flexible elastomerseal, as shown in FIG. 6, a stainless steel foil cover, a compressionseal system that employs elastomeric concretes or adhesives, and/or anyconventional joint cover or joint seal system. Thus, the utilization ofthe barrier 10 does not restrict or otherwise prohibit the use ofconventional and non-conventional joint covers.

When the fire barrier 10 is exposed to fire, the foam sections burnpartially or completely away and the intumescent sections expand andform a char that fills the voids left by the foam sections. The char hasa low thermal conductivity and will not support or transfer flame orfire. Applicant has observed that in some situations, all of the foamsections burn away entirely and are replaced with the expandedintumescent char. In other situations, the intumescent char infiltratesthe foam and imparts to it its fire resistant properties. In still othersituations, some portions of the foam burn away and are replaced by theexpanded intumescent char and other portions of the foam are infiltratedby the intumescent char. Although applicant is unsure why the foamsections sometimes burn away partially or entirely and sometimes areinstead infiltrated by the intumescent char, the temperature andduration of the fire seem to be factors.

Although the invention has been described with reference to thepreferred embodiment illustrated in the attached drawing figures, it isnoted that equivalents may be employed and substitutions made hereinwithout departing from the scope of the invention as recited in theclaims.

1. A fire barrier operable to be placed within a gap formed between twosurfaces, the barrier comprising: a first intumescent section formed ofintumescent material that expands and forms a non-flammable char whenexposed to fire; a first foam section coupled with the first intumescentsection, the first foam section being formed of fire-resistant but notfireproof foam material that burns at least partially away when exposedto fire; and a second intumescent section formed of intumescent materialthat expands and forms a non-flammable char when exposed to fire, thesecond intumescent section being coupled with the first foam sectiongenerally opposite the first intumescent section.
 2. The fire barrier ofclaim 1, wherein the first foam section is adhered to the intumescentsections.
 3. The fire barrier of claim 1, wherein the first foam sectionand intumescent sections are at least partially encapsulated within ahigh-temperature material.
 4. The fire barrier of claim 3, wherein thehigh-temperature material is selected from the group consisting of ametallic foil, a fiberglass scrim, a high-temperature textile, andcombinations thereof.
 5. The fire barrier of claim 1, wherein theintumescent sections and the first foam section present generally thesame length.
 6. The fire barrier of claim 1, wherein the first foamsection is comprised of flexible polyurethane foam.
 7. The fire barrierof claim 1, further including— a second foam section coupled with thesecond intumescent section generally opposite the first foam section,and a third intumescent section coupled with the second foam sectiongenerally opposite the second intumescent section.
 8. The fire barrierof claim 7, further including— a third foam section coupled with thethird intumescent section generally opposite the second foam section, afourth intumescent section coupled with the third foam section generallyopposite the third intumescent section, a fourth foam section coupledwith the fourth intumescent section generally opposite the third foamsection, and a fifth intumescent section coupled with the fourth foamsection generally opposite the fourth intumescent section.
 9. The firebarrier of claim 1, wherein the intumescent sections and the first foamsection are compressible for placement within the gap.
 10. The firebarrier of claim 1, further including a support section operable to bepositioned within the gap to support the intumescent sections and thefoam section within the gap.
 11. A fire barrier operable to be placedwithin a gap formed between two surfaces, the barrier comprising: aplurality of intumescent sections formed of intumescent material thatexpands and forms a non-flammable char when exposed to fire; and aplurality of flexible foam sections formed of fire-resistant but notfireproof material that burns at least partially away when exposed tofire, at least one of the foam sections being positioned between atleast two of the intumescent sections.
 12. The fire barrier of claim 11,wherein the foam sections and the intumescent sections present generallythe same length and at least one of the foam sections abuts two of theintumescent sections substantially along its length.
 13. The firebarrier of claim 11, wherein at least one of the foam sections isadhered to two of the intumescent sections.
 14. The fire barrier ofclaim 11, wherein at least one of the foam sections and two of theintumescent sections are generally rectangular.
 15. The fire barrier ofclaim 11, wherein the foam sections and the intumescent sections areoperable to be compressed for placement within the gap.
 16. The firebarrier of claim 11, further including a support section operable to bepositioned within the gap to support the foam sections and intumescentsections within the gap.
 17. The fire barrier of claim 11, wherein theintumescent sections and foam sections are encapsulated within ahigh-temperature material.
 18. The fire barrier of claim 11, wherein thefoam sections are comprised of flexible polyurethane foam.
 19. A firebarrier operable to be placed within a gap formed between two surfaces,the barrier comprising: a plurality of generally rectangular intumescentsections each presenting a first length; and a plurality of generallyrectangular flexible polyurethane foam sections each presenting a secondlength generally equal to the first length, each of the foam sectionsbeing adhered to at least two of the intumescent sections such that eachfoam section is positioned between at least two of the intumescentsections, the foam sections and the intumescent sections beingcompressible for placement within the gap.
 20. The fire barrier of claim19, further including a support section operable to be positioned withinthe gap to support the foam sections and intumescent sections within thegap.
 21. The fire barrier of claim 19, wherein the intumescent sectionsand foam sections are encapsulated within a high-temperature material.